Photo Credit: Alexandr Hovannisyan via Unsplash

Milan, Italy

Vishan struggled to focus on the notes in front of him as he sat in the backseat of a taxi. His eyes kept drifting out of the window to stare at the beautiful neoclassical buildings lining either side of the streets. Traffic was slow and the taxi crept along. Much like New York City, people walked among the vehicles to cross the street. Women were in stylish haute couture outfits and men were in bespoke suits. A soft rain had fallen earlier in the day, casting everything in a cool damp grey. Leaves were falling from the trees along the roads and it was every bit the picturesque idea he'd had in his head.

Michael sat next to him, staring ahead in silence. The burly security guard took up more than half the seat and seemed to be doing his best to shrink as much as possible. "I still don't know why you wouldn't left me get a car for you," he grumbled.

"Because its just easier this way," Vishan explained, pulling his attention away from a particularly chic couple walking hand-in-hand along the sidewalk. "I thought I was making your job easier, Michael," he chuckled. "You should be thanking me."

The other man sighed. "I appreciate it, sir, but its still strange for me to be a passenger and not the driver."

"Relax, Michael," Vishan urged. "Enjoy the sights."

He turned his attention back to the notes in front of him, struggling to concentrate. The meeting with Vodafone had been hanging over his head for weeks now and he was ready to wrap the deal up. But it was what was happening after the meeting that really set his heart to pounding. Earlier in the week, Jared had reached out to him and asked when they could see each other again. It was pure luck that Vishan just happened to be flying to Milan for several days at the same time Jared had a day off in the city. They were meeting for dinner later that evening and it was the only thing on Vishan's mind.

"By the way, you have the night off tonight," he told Michael. "Go out and enjoy yourself. I'm meeting Jared for dinner and then I'll just be at the hotel all evening."

Michael knew better than to ask questions and understood what wasn't being said: I'm meeting Jared tonight and we're fucking all evening in my suite. Don't bother me.

"Thank you," Michael replied.

Vishan had never given much thought to what his security guard thought about his relationship situation. He was always respectful and polite, acting like he never heard or saw anything. In response, Vishan tried to treat him well. Good security guards were hard to come by.

The driver pulled up the the towering office building and Vishan hopped out. "Grazie," he said, handing the driver a large tip through the window. He turned toward the building, buttoning his jacket. With a deep breath, he walked inside.

***

"This chair taken?" a male voice pulled Vishan away from his phone.

Vishan looked up and saw Jared standing in front of him, hand on the back of the chair on the other side of the table. The two men embraced tightly before sitting down together.

"Its so good to see you," Jared said. His voice was slightly raw and the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion, but his eyes shone brightly as he looked back at Vishan. "I missed you."

Vishan smiled back, tempted to take Jared's hand on the table top. Even though they were sat in a dark corner in the hotel restaurant, there were eyes everywhere. With Michael off for the night, he felt vulnerable and exposed to the people around with without the bulky man as a buffer.

"How's the tour going?" Vishan asked, pouring himself another glass of wine. Jared refused. "Where are you going next?"

"Its going well. We're headed to Portugal next," Jared explained. "How did the meeting go?"

Vishan tilted his head. "It went alright. I'm not entirely certain we sealed the deal, but that's the industry, isn't it?" He took a sip from his glass and looked Jared up and down hungrily.

"That's good," Jared replied with a grin. "Hey, I'm not really hungry. Do you want to just head out?" he asked, nodding toward the door.

"Sure," Vishan answered. His stomach was full of butterflies.

He stood and followed Jared to the door, slipping his waiter a hefty tip on the way out. The two men made their way through the mostly-empty lobby. The evening had grown cold and most people were snug in the warmth of their rooms. In the elevator, Jared gently brushed his hand against Vishan's back, sending shivers through his body. Vishan's suite was at the end of a long hallway, a corner unit with views across central Milan.

Jared hung back as Vishan walked into the suite. Elegant furniture filled the space and a large window showed the flickering lights of the city all around them. As Vishan went into the bathroom to wash his hands, Jared moved to follow him. He wrapped his arms around the younger man's body and leaned against his back, inhaling his cologne.

"I forgot how much I missed your smell," Jared said, inhaling deeply. "And Adrienne's. I almost feel like I should keep a bottle of each with me just so I can smell you whenever I want." He froze. "That sounded way less creepy in my head," he added.

Vishan's shoulders shook gently as he chuckled. He turned in Jared's arms and kissed him softly. "I can't believe we only have tonight and tomorrow."

"I know," Jared sighed, stepping back. "I wish you two had just come to your senses sooner so we could have had more time before I started touring," he teased, sticking his tongue out.

Vishan closed the gap between them, pulling Jared into a deep kiss. "I missed you so much," he whispered when he pulled away.

"Me too," Jared replied, moving in for a kiss again.

The two made their way over to the king-sized bed, shedding clothing as they moved. Vishan sighed as he felt Jared's weight settle on top of him, calming his nerves. Vishan knew every inch of Jared's body, but he still took his time exploring it anyway. By the time they were sprawled out, both fully spent, a happy exhaustion fell over him surpassing the jetlag and anxiety to lull him into a deep sleep.

***

The next morning, after a filling breakfast from room service, Jared took Vishan out to meet several of his friends in the city. Vishan gave Michael the day off and he and Jared walked the streets of Milan for hours, taking photos and looking at the sights.

"I hardly ever get to sightsee when we're touring," Jared explained as they walked along a street lined with haute couture shops. "Even on off days, I'm usually sleeping and recovering instead of getting out. When I was your age, it was so much easier," he chuckled.

"Its the same for me though," Vishan replied. "I'm usually only ever in a city long enough to attend meetings or conferences and then I'm back in the air. I had to force Sam to rearrange my week so I had time to be here. I swear she cursed me in at least five languages."

Jared laughed. "Your assistant is terrifying, you know that? She's like weirdly possessive of you."

"Tell me about it," Vishan said. "I secretly think she's conspiring against my marriage."

"So why do you keep her?" Jared asked.

"Same reason you keep Shayla - she's damn good at her job and despite her mad behavior I actually like her most of the time," Vishan laughed. "How is Shayla, by the way?"

Jared sighed. "She's fine. I think she's looking at leaving though."

Vishan's chest tightened. "Why?"

"Her mom is sick or something, so its a lot harder for her to always be on the most and busy with me," Jared explained. "I can't blame her and I'm not mad at her or anything. It just means that Kennon will be taking over for her and we'll have to re-explain everything." He saw the panicked look in Vishan's eyes. "Don't worry. My NDA follows her wherever she goes. And Shayla isn't going to tell anyone. Kennon is young, but she's eager to please and I know for a fact she's wanting to get into talent management, so she's not likely to slip up either."

They came to a building with an elegant wrought-iron door set into the stone on the front of the building. Jared buzzed the door bell and stepped back, looking up several floors. A head popped out of a window above them and let out a cheerful shout.

"Jared! Come on up!" the male voice called, heavy with an Italian accent.

The door unlocked and Jared held it open for him, gesturing for Vishan to enter first. "Its straight up to the top."

Vishan was glad for his time with his personal trainer because after eight narrow flights of stairs, he was barely out of breath. Even Jared seemed to struggle by the end though. A man with long brown hair and well-manicured facial hair greeted them outside a tall carved wooden door.

"Ciao, Jared," he said, kissing Jared on each cheek twice. "So nice to see you again!"

Jared smiled brightly and Vishan felt a tinge of jealousy as they embraced. He wondered what their relationship was actually like.

"Ale, this is my very good friend Vishan Rai," Jared said, pulling Vishan forward with a hand at his back. "Vishan, this is Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci."

Vishan shook the other man's hand, noting how much older he looked than Jared. "Pleasure to meet you," he replied.

"Please, please, come in," Alessandro said, gesturing them toward the open door.

Vishan's eyes couldn't keep up with the amount of visual stimulation that greeted them. The entryway of the flat was walled with bright white wooden paneling and a large crystal chandelier hung from the molded ceiling above. The space was both cavernous and intimate at the same time, as if it was ready to host a ball or tea for two at any moment.

"Can I get either of you a coffee or tea?" Alessandro offered, his house coat billowing behind him as he breezed into the sitting area.

"Oh, no thank you," Vishan replied.

"I'll take a coffee, if you wouldn't mind, Ale," Jared asked, flopping down onto one of the two red velvet Regency-styled chaises that faced each other.

Vishan sat next to him, trying to keep a respectable distance between them. He wasn't sure how much Alessandro knew about his relationship with Jared.

"So, tell me how you two know each other?" Alessandro asked, returning with a porcelain tea cup on a floral-painted saucer and holding it out to Jared.

"Jared is actually an investor in my company," Vishan offered.

"And his wife, Adrienne, directed me in one of her films," Jared added. "We've gotten to know each other very well over the last few years."

So we're just friends, then, Vishan thought with relief. Now he knew how to act and he could relax.

"Adrienne...Geraci, no?" Alessandro asked. Vishan nodded. "I have seen her in a few of our dresses. She's quite beautiful."

"Thank you," Vishan said, a blush rising to his cheeks. "How did you two meet?" he asked Alessandro.

"Oh, Jared has been a fixture on the fashion scene for years. We've run across each other multiple times at various parties," Alessandro said. "But it was when he agreed to do a campaign with us that we really got to know each other. And ever since, anytime he's in the city, I have to see him."

The two men exchanged a look that made Vishan question their existing relationship even further.

"So, Vishan, what brings you two Milan?" Alessandro asked, leaning back on his own chaise.

"Business," he replied. "I really only get to travel for business these days unfortunately. It was just luck that Jared and I happened to be in Milan at the same time."

His phone began to vibrate in his pocket and he excused himself for a moment. Adrienne's name showed on the screen. He hit ignore and returned to the conversation. If it was important, she'd text him. He wasn't about to miss out on the rare time he got with Jared.

"Are you free for lunch?" Jared asked. "I have a flight to Portugal to catch tonight, but I've got a few hours."

"Absolutely!" Alessandro said. "Let me get dressed and we can head out."

Vishan sat in silence next to Jared and noticed his phone buzz again. Adrienne had left a voicemail. He raised his phone to listen to it.

"Hey jaanu, I hope everything went well with your meeting. I wanted to call and see if we could chat a bit, but I guess you're busy. I - I'm not sure if this is the best way to tell you this, but here goes. I had lunch with Greta the other day and she was showing me pictures of her new baby. I about died. I know we said we were happy without kids, but I...I think that might have changed for me. I was hoping to do this face-to-face, but I know you're busy for a while and I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I think I want to start talking about having a baby. Anyway, I'll try back later. Tell Jared I said hi."

Vishan remained staring at the floor for several seconds after the message ended. The idea of having kids never scared him. But since he was sterile due to chemotherapy years ago, he wasn't exactly sure how that would work for them. And with Jared just now becoming a regular part of their lives, he wasn't sure upending all of that by adding a baby was the best option. It was just another reminder that his life was never, ever going to be relaxed and easy.